One More Word
by TheAvalonianFromOverTheRainbow
Summary: In one possibility, Naruto looked up and saw the Hokage monument. He vowed to become Hokage and prove to the villagers that he was strong. In another, he looked up and saw the Kyuubi no Kitsune. He vowed to become a true demon and prove to the world that he would not stay down. It only took one more word to change the fate of Uzumaki Naruto, the Kyuubi and all of Konoha forever.
1. Prologue

_Naruto could taste the coppery blood in his mouth. He could feel his breath swirling through his lungs, he could smell the cold, dank water pooling around his body, and he could hear the heavy drops of rain smacking the ground. Though his wounds had closed, the pain lacing his body was still there, as the internal damage had not yet been healed. His head was pounding with pain and questions, as it always did after the villagers finished. Questions that at four years old he was still too young to fully understand. He struggled to move, to open his eyes and look around, and with each twitch of his aching limbs he remembered another cruel curse. Words, that just like his questions, he could not understand. He struggled for a while to sit up, and when he did, he just leaned against the wall. Slowly, timidly, he opened his eyes, wincing as water dripped into them, and looked up. As the large blurry form in front of him became clear, new resolve entered his heart. Staring at the Hokage monument, he vowed that he would make the villagers respect him by becoming the Hokage._

Naruto could taste the coppery blood in his mouth. He could feel his breaths, he could smell the cold, dank water pooling around his body, and he could hear the heavy drops of rain smacking the ground. Though his wounds had closed, the pain lacing his body was still there, as the internal damage had not yet been healed. His head was pounding with pain and questions, as it always did after the villagers finished. Questions that at four years old he was still too young to fully understand. He struggled to move, to open his eyes and look around, and with each twitch of his aching limbs he remembered another cruel curse. Words, that just like his questions, he could not understand. He struggled for a while to sit up, and when he could, he propped himself up with his arms. Slowly, timidly, he opened his eyes, wincing as water dripped into them, and looked up. As the large blurry form in front of him became clear, he instinctually scooted back, fear pushing new strength into his body. A deep, growling laugh echoed through the sewer, causing ripples in the putrid water. Naruto whimpered, too young and too scared to say a word.

"**Come here, boy-child… I will not hurt you…" **The giant form murmured softly, red eyes narrowing slightly, and all nine tails waving gently in the warm air. Naruto stayed frozen in place, not wanting to disobey but unable to move any closer. The fox let out something resembling a sigh, and began to speak again. **"I **_**said**_** come **_**here, kit**_**!" **This time, there was no hesitation, and Naruto scampered forward, fear and embarrassment racing across his skin like fire.

"What do you want?" Naruto squeaked out, and the demon laughed again.

"**I was about to ask you the same thing. You're the one that came here." **There was a brief pause in which the monstrous red eyes raked up and down his body, assessing, calculating, and finally closing tiredly. **"****Why did you come? You have no need for my powers at this moment… unless you want to burn this village down. I'd be happy to help you then…"** The fox sighed again.** "But, you're too young to understand hatred. Let me sleep until you've grown some, kit… I'm not in the mood to deal with a sniveling brat only four years into my imprisonment."**

"I-I'd l-like that-t." Naruto whispered the words before he could help himself. The thought of the people that had hurt him for his entire life burning sent shivers down his spine. The thought of paying them back made him feel calm… all of the questions would be unnecessary, or at least answered, just by making them all go away.

"**What did you say, kit!?" **A maniacal gleam entered the demon's eyes.

"N-nothing!" Naruto gulped, but it didn't give up.

"**Really? Nothing? Don't fear, kit, hush now… I said I wouldn't hurt you, did I not? Now, boy-child, what did you say?"**

"I-I'd like to see them _burn_. I want them _all_ to go away!" This time, he didn't whisper.

"**Well then, kit, I've got a deal for you… hmmmm" **The demon growled, its many tails slashing the air in its excitement. **"T****hey call you a demon, don't they? We'll make you look more like one, then. We'll make you act like one, and fight like one… I'll have to train you, won't I, little kit!"**

Naruto's head was reeling. One minute he thought he was going to be killed by this ferocious monster that looked like it could easily snap the bars of it's giant cage, and the next, it was promising to help him, and make him stronger. A smile spread across his face. "What's your name?" The demon paused in creating his to-do list and bared his teeth in a way that almost resembled a annoyed smile.

"**My name is Kurama, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, I am a demon, and yes, I am currently male. Call me whatever you like, I really don't care, just don't make it disrespectful. Any other useless questions, brat, or will you just go to sleep already?"**

"What do you mean 'currennely male,' Kura-sama?" Naruto asked, for the first time in his short life feeling safe. Though blunt, sadistic, and in no way polite or kind, the kyuubi was the nicest to him that anyone had ever been, excepting the Hokage, who he only met on occasion and who always looked at him with a sadness that made him uncomfortable.

"**I am a demon, brat. I can choose. You are a boy-child therefore I am male. And it's **_**currently**_**, not currennely or whatever you said." **Kurama growled. **"Now leave me alone. I'll call you here again when I've figured out the details." **With that, Naruto found himself staring at a trashcan in an alleyway. _Alone again. _He thought to himself, fighting off tears. Standing up, he brushed the dirt and dried blood off of his damp clothing, and started to walk towards his normal shelter. He had a pattern in his life– The Hokage visited the orphanages in Konoha once a year, and so the orphanage that he was staying at would find him a day before the Hokage came, give him a cold bath and stale food, let him stay for one day after the Hokage left, then kick him out again, and he would live on the streets for the rest of the year until the Hokage came again. Of course, the first years of his life, when he was totally helpless, he was taken care of by a nurse who was watched by ANBU constantly, but at around the age of one or two he was sent to an orphanage—beginning the never-ending cycle. Naruto sighed. _Will I really become strong? _

_**You're not alone. **_The voice of the demon, which had quickly become comforting, echoed quietly through his mind. _**Now go to sleep, kit.**_

Crawling into the sewer space, (a warm, if not slightly damp concrete tunnel that Konoha had decided was no longer needed to channel its waste, and was now closed off and abandoned,) Naruto smiled. He curled up on the small heap of rags he used as a bed, and closed his eyes. Sleep came quickly, but lightly- courtesy of a life (however short) on the streets. _**You'll become strong… Uzumaki Naruto...**_

**Hi, dear Naruto fans! I'll answer a few questions that I know you'll have because I'm psychic. The paragraph in italics is what happened in canon (lol, not really! It's what I think might have happened in canon.) And the normal text is what happens in my story. In bold is the demon or me. (Coincidence? I think not!) Naruto is thinking in italics, Kyuu-chan thinks in bold italics. Now remember folks, our little Naru-kun is only four, and so sometimes he might speak a little weirdly. Also, I'm going by the assumption that chillun's start the academy at the age of five or six, so Naruto is going to start in one year or so. No, Kyuubi is not a nice demon, but he may seem like it for a few reasons. One, I as an author am having trouble writing him as mean. 'Cause I'm lame. Two, It's only been four years since he was able to kill, so he's not really that angry about being imprisoned. Three, Naruto wasn't disrespectful or weak and is only four, so Kurama doesn't really care enough to scare or be cruel to him. This is really short (the chapter, not the A/N, jeez!) because it's just the prologue. This story is about what would have happened if the villagers had said one more cruel word and the battle between hatred and love had a different outcome. Review, follow, favorite, etc~! It makes my writing flow~! Tune in next (whenever I have time to write) time for more! **

**_Edit: I will be re-writing this prologue slightly before I post a new chapter... the chapter will be on the way soon, but I noticed a few minor mistakes that I didn't catch before I posted this story... sorry! The next chapter will be longer and much more interesting! In fact, it will be at least ten pages on word! I promise! 3, Avvi_  
**


	2. Jeez, You're Pushy Sometimes

Naruto woke up suddenly, a feeling of panic washing over him when he realized how deeply he had been sleeping. He calmed down and began to stretch his sore muscles, massaging his arms and legs to check for any wounds that had not yet healed. It was his usual morning routine, and as he combed his fingers through his stringy blond hair and ate a small breakfast of the scraps he had found the day before, he thought about the Kyuubi and where it could be. He wanted to set it free from its huge cage— something he had forgotten to do when he had been there the night before. He thought it was probably pretty close, because he had been pulled there in the short time between his beating and his regaining consciousness, and made up his mind that this day he would search all of Konoha for it. _I'll find Kura-sama and let him from his cage so he can train me!_

_**I'm right here, Boy-child… **_The fox's voice echoed through his mind, sounding amused. Naruto started, shocked at his mind communication with his Sensei.

_Wh-where ar-re y-you, Kura-s-sama?_

_**Get rid of the stutter, boy. And as to where I am, I'm sealed inside you, and if you let me out of my cage, the force of my absence from your chakra coils and mind will either kill you or at best leave you in a vegetable state. I strongly advise against it. **_

_But then you can't train me! _Naruto whined, hurt and a little depressed by this realization.__

_**I can train you, kit, even without being physically there in front of you. But I will warn you… you will not be safe from the villager's wrath. I estimate a year at least until you can protect yourself from one adult civilian, let alone the mobs that chase you, kit.**_

_Aw! B-but I enter the academy in two years! I want to be strong by then!_

_**Don't worry. I'll teach you as much as I am able, and that is a lot. But, kit, first you'll have to train your body. With your current stamina, training your chakra for Ninjutsu will be incredibly hard and training your body in Taijutsu will be near impossible. I cannot truly help you with those two things in the physical sense, but I can teach you inside of the seal and you'll have to work on your Kenjutsu yourself. I have no knowledge of human weapons— just demon Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. Kit! **_Naruto had been slowly falling asleep as Kyuubi talked.

_Yes!?_

_**Augh! …Come into the seal and I will tell you more about what I will change. Hurry, kit, I don't like waiting.**_

_Yes, Kura-sama!_

Naruto found a secluded area on the outskirts of Konoha to hide. He pulled bushes and branches around him, sat cross-legged in a meditative form, and closed his eyes. _Ready! _He called to Kurama, and felt the tugging on his mind that signified his entrance into the seal. The first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes was the disgusting mess of a sewer that his mindscape was— and as soon as he noticed, it changed into an endless field, grassless and stone-less with rich dark blue dirt, a faded light purple sky with orange clouds, and a single red mountain. The sun was in a setting position; light turquoise and bright with the seal that had been on the cage on it. The Kyuubi was in front of the sun on a huge grey pillow wearing a chain around its neck that disappeared into the bottom of the sun. Naruto gaped at the beautiful surroundings, only wishing for a pillow of his own, and again, as soon as he thought it another large-ish grey pillow appeared in front of him. Kurama grunted in pleasure at the new scenery, and then proceeded to speak.

"**I will be changing many things about you, kit, I will make you look more like a demon in appearance, change your chakra and physical capabilities to that of a demon, train you to fight like a demon, and change your mind to a more demon-like mind." **He paused, and Naruto took that moment to speak.

"So you'll basically turn me into a demon? And what capabilities will you give me?"

"**Not exactly, boy. I'll turn you into a three-quarters demon. You'd be half demon if one of your parents had been a demon, a full demon if both had been a demon, and because your mother was my first jailer and she imprisoned me when she had you, you're a one-quarter demon already. I'm just going to change you a little so that it's like your father was a demon, so that you'll be a three-quarters demon."**

"So I'll be almost a demon. And I'll look like a demon, and stuff."

"**Stop making assumptions, kit! You'll still appear human, but you'll be mostly changed. You'll be able to shape-shift into one animal form that you will choose, you'll have the **_**incredibly**_** amazing and abundant chakra of a demon, the healing and invulnerabilities of a demon, and, of course, an extremely long life-span. Physically in terms of invulnerabilities- you'll just be much stronger, much, much, faster, and your bones and skin will be a lot harder to break. And your healing will practically completely take care of you when your bones and skin do break." **Kurama paused for breath, hoping that his explanation would be efficient in stopping a flood of useless questions about the logistics of the transformation. He simply wanted to transform the boy to make it easier to train him— and also so that he wouldn't have to lend too much of his own chakra to the boy—and also so that when he did lend chakra, it would be incorporated without fuss. But what the boy said next surprised him.

"So you're basically going to transform me into three-quarters of a demon, one quarter human? C-could you leave a little more than one quarter human? I don't want to lose all of my humanity. I-I still want to be human! Just a little…" Naruto said. He was a little afraid of being a demon, of becoming exactly what the villagers hated him for. And… he wanted to be a strong human, not a demon. Kurama let out a sigh that seemed to stretch on for miles.

"**No, kit, you do not understand! You won't actually ever be even close to an eighth of a demon! Even by giving you the chakra amounts, physical invulnerabilities, healing, appearance, life-span, and mindset of a demon, you'll still be human in the fact that YOU HAVE A **_**SOUL**_**! That will change the way you are no matter what, for true demons do not have souls! So no matter what, you will always be human—a human with demon characteristics, but still human. Always, for without a soul, humans cannot live, and souls cannot be taken away from humans without the human's death. Humans are the only creatures with souls. This always has been, and always will be. Spirits, however… well, I'll get into that another day, kit"** Naruto stared at the Kyuubi with wide eyes. Even with the powers of a demon, he would still be human…

"T-then yes. Yes! I will go through the transformation. And for my animal, I choose the fox, like you, Kura-sama! I want to be like you…" The Kyuubi smiled.

"**Then let us begin."**

**. .**

Naruto stared into the full-length mirror he had created in his mindscape. He looked different; yet at the same time pretty much the same. His hair was about an inch longer, and spikier, the extra inch at the roots coming in a foxlike rusty red-orange with golden streaks. His eyes were pretty much the same, just more slanted and almond shaped (though still retaining their child-like size and cuteness,) and very slightly tinted purple, the pupils in slits, and his ears were pointed at the tips and laid back more against his head. His whisker marks had all but disappeared, just very slight lines that would soon fade away—they had originally been a birthmark, and would have gone with age regardless of Kyuubi's interference. The already-large canines were visibly longer, both the bottom and the top, and all of his teeth were sharper and whiter. His skin was slightly paler, losing some of its pinkness and gaining a tanner hue. Naruto was slightly taller—his legs and arms longer and stronger, his feet and hands a little bigger.

He could feel his chakra brimming and pulsing and swirling—there was so, so _much_ of it that he couldn't even begin to find it's beginning or it's end, let alone try to channel or control it. He felt that if he let even a miniscule amount out he would free it all, and that if he lost focus for a second he would drown in it, like opening a floodgate that held back the _ocean_. His bones, muscles and skin felt tougher than before, so tough in fact that movement was stiff and difficult, his skin trading flexibility for impenetrability, his muscles trading flexibility for raw power, and his bones trading light weight for denser mass. His sharper teeth kept catching on his lips, gums and tongue and scratching them, and his added height and strength kept catching him off-balance when he could move. That added to his heavy bones and stiff muscles and skin made him fall down a lot. The changed color of his eyes and shape of his pupils changed the way light moved through his eyes, so that where he once could see fine he was completely blinded, and where it once was just too bright his eyes burned. His hearing was incredibly sensitive, as was his taste, touch, sight and smell. Even the light brush of his hair against his neck felt like needles on his skin, and his clothes felt like they were on fire. Even the taste of his own saliva was overwhelming, let alone the taste of the _air. _And the smell of his mindscape was so varied from one breath to the next that he couldn't even smell anything at all, there was so much that his brain just shut that down. His whole body felt so wrong and uncomfortable, so stiff and painful and slow that he just wanted to lie down to sleep and never get up again.

But his mind had changed too, and now that he thought with the instincts of a fox demon as _well _as a human, he couldn't lie down until he had completely assessed the situation.

"K-Kurama! I thought you said I would be stronger… I feel like I died!"

"**Well… to put it bluntly, I expected this would happen, and just didn't want to tell you, kit. No power comes without a price, and this is why I said you wouldn't be able to take on a civilian adult for a year at least. Although you're feeling better than I expected, so maybe a little less than a year, kit. But the second year will be the year of most improvement. You will graduate then from simply physical and chakra control training into the more detailed fields of element control, Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. But for now, all you need to worry about is recovery, kit. The years you spend in the Academy are years in which I can train you outside of school, or you can just skip. And really… don't fret about your skill in two years. I have it under control." **Naruto sat down incredibly slowly onto the firm but damp grey cushion. During his actually pretty painless transformation, (Well, painless until the very end,) orange clouds had formed a dark red storm cloud and it was drizzling black droplets of rain. When each drop hit the ground, a small dark purple curly grass sprout grew, and when the silver lightning hit (yes, there was lightning in a drizzle-storm,) a slender tree that had orange-red leaves and a light blue trunk grew from the ground, staying just a sapling but still growing slowly. Currently there was a small grove off in the distance, and a few trees spotted here and there among the curly purple grass. There was also the occasional grey butterfly, but those died in bursts of green light when the black rain hit them. All in all, it looked like the mindscape world that Naruto had created was going to be an ever-changing scenery. Already the sun had set more, and on the opposite horizon a black moon with dark grey spots was rising in a dark gold with pink stars sky. Kyuubi's seal and chain had switched positions—instead of being stuck in the sun, it was revealed that the seal had been one the red snowless mountain and that the chain was stuck in the same mountain too. Kyuubi grinned ferally.

"**I'm going to send you out in the real world now—good luck evading the mobs with your **_**super,**_**" (**Naruto glared at him, and he chuckled evilly,)** "Nimble body, and try not to die. I'm going to get some sleep, and then I'll teach you how to find healthier food and safer shelter in the woods." **Naruto nodded once, painfully, and then sat down on his grey pillow and closed his eyes. This time, he felt a gentle push, and when he opened his eyes, he was back in the safe spot he had found on the edge of Konoha. Quickly, he closed his eyes again—the pain and stiffness of every part of his body was ten times worse in his physical body. He slowly stood up, limbs complaining with each twitch, and began to walk to his sewer space. He was just as tired as Kyuubi, and needed to sleep. When he arrived, he curled up on his rags, thankful for the dim, warm, and humid shelter. Sleep was deep for him, his body and mind exhausted to a level that he had never experienced before.

.

Naruto was woken by the Kyuubi shouting into his mind. _**Get up! It's time to talk to the Hokage!**_

_What? What are you talking about? _Naruto mumbled in reply, confused by Kurama's sudden shift in focus from nature to Hokage.

_**I've decided we need to talk to the Hokage about some bad decisions he made regarding the level of knowledge the villagers have about you. Of course, I want them to be scared of you, and if a couple beatings now and then are the price for that fear then I'm sure you can suck it up, but none of the children are allowed to know, and some adults don't. Let's… ask him to clarify that for them. We want everyone to be afraid. **_Privately, the Kyuubi cackled. **I want them all to hate you… it makes it easier for me to make you hate them, kit… as soon as you've learned all you can from this wretched village, I'll convince you to go missing. For your own good, of course… kukukukuku…**

_Okay… I guess that would be okay… _Naruto fretted, as he walked to the Hokage tower. Along the way the familiar stares of hatred and disgust were aimed his way. The most hostile of the people yelled and waved brooms, while the rest just coldly stared. He hurried as best he could with his extremely stiff and painful joints, muscles and skin, his dirty, damp clothes rubbing excruciatingly painfully against his sensitive skin, eyes squinting against the sun. When he arrived, he was stopped many times by ANBU or other shinobi, and it took him longer than expected to reach the Hokage's office.

"H-Hokage-s-sama?" Naruto called out shakily. The old man behind the desk snapped shut a little orange book and blew his nose with a tissue. It came away as red as a perverts blood.

"Yes, Naruto? What do you need?" The Hokage asked, peering at Naruto with his usual sad expression. Naruto walked all the way to his desk.

"I… um… wanted to talk to you about the Kyuubi sealed in me." Naruto said. _**Ha! Way to be blunt, kit! **_The Hokage spit out the tea he had just taken a sip of, and hoarsely whispered,

"ANBU! Seal this room, and then leave! I don't care who comes or how important their problem is! This is a matter of village security! Yes, Naruto, what is it? What's wrong? Tell me, quickly!" Naruto had to hold back a grin. The Hokage was just too easy to scare.

"Nothing is wrong, exactly. Kura-sama just has a request for you, is all."

"Kura-sama! Who is that? And what request, exactly?" Naruto smiled softly.

"Kura-sama is the Kyuubi, and his only requests are that you allow me to enter the academy and that you rescind your law about not allowing anyone to speak of the Kyuubi's sealing in me. I wish there to be no more secrets about me, Hokage-sama."

.

The boy was staring at him, waiting for an answer, and Sarutobi had no clue what to say.

Now that he looked closer, he could see the changes. Redder, slit eyes, red roots, pointy ears and teeth, leaner body… and a fierce, feral body language that looked so unusual on a little boy that it made even him feel slightly apprehensive. "I see…" He muttered, a great sadness washing over him, as he knew that Minato's last wishes and hopes were forever shattered by his son. "What do you want me to do, then?"

"Uh… I don't know, stand in front of every citizen of Konoha and tell them that your law regarding talking about me being the Kyuubi's host is no longer in affect."

"You know I can't do that! Naruto, do you even know what you're asking for? Isn't it hard enough with all of the adults in the village hating you—let alone every single villager!" He was almost red with anger now, and slammed his fist on the table with the word villager. Naruto took a step back with surprise at his passion, then shrugged and shot back,

"And how do you expect me to ever trust or be trusted by anyone in this village if I keep such a huge secret from them? How do you expect I feel being hated by everyone—even the kids anyway for reasons that they don't understand! I'd rather be hated by everyone if that is what they truly feel for me, than be hated for no reason or simply misunderstood!"

_**Good job, kit, you're convincing him. **_"Yes, Kura-sama." Naruto mumbled aloud without even thinking, and the Hokage turned white like a ghost. _** Ooh, good one, kit… talk to me aloud sometimes from now on. I like the reactions, kit. Kukuku… **_"Fine, Kura-sama, I will. Jeez, you're pushy sometimes…"

"Naruto… please don't do this! Don't you love your village? How could you converse so casually with a monster like that?"

Naruto stared coldly into Sarutobi's eyes. "I guess like attracts like, Hokage-sama. Please consider my sensei's requests. I will wait for your decision, but I will let you know… if you don't let me join the academy I will leave Konoha, and if you don't let my truths be know to the _whole_ village… I will tell them myself."

**Hello, dear friends! I'll answer some questions that I know you'll have because I'm psychic. Um… Okay, here goes. Naruto is talking more adult-like now because of the changes in his mind, the mindscape didn't change in canon because Naruto was never calm enough to dislike it (he was always in the middle of a fight or something.) I made it so that he isn't mary-sue like Uchiha Sasuke because I don't like characters that are suddenly super powerful. It'll take him a couple years at least to feel normal in his body again, and he'll have problems with chakra control because his chakra will just keep expanding and expanding like crazy, and though he's more sensitive now, it really messes up fights. (See Kiba vs. Naruto in the Chuunin exams. 'Nuff said.) He'll constantly have to work on flexibility because his muscles will stiffen up much more quickly than others, and though his bones are denser and stronger, they're a lot heavier. Also, his skin will be tough, but not as loose, so though it'll be harder to penetrate it's also harder to move in. He'll have to have a whole nighttime moisturizing regime for that little problem, and I foresee some teasing about that in the future… heheheh. The Bold with crossed out is Kyuubi thinking privately. If ya didn't guess. Next chapter will be a time-skip to the Academy, with time-skips scattered around inside it to different points in the academy. I just really wanna get the academy over with… also, maybe Naruto will meet a kindred spirit! If you wanna know, you gotta review and follow and favorite! Makes my writing flow! Tune in next weekend for more! ..3, Avvi.**


	3. Good Luck

**Disclaimer: I do not own what I do not own. Aka, I do not own Naruto.**

**In this chapter, we'll completely cover the Academy! There is character death in this chapter, so if you like Uchihahahahahahahaha's, don't read this. Avvi out~!**

_Naruto stared coldly into Sarutobi's eyes. "I guess like attracts like, Hokage-sama. Please consider my sensei's requests. I will wait for your decision, but I will let you know… if you don't let me join the academy I will leave Konoha, and if you don't let my truths be know to the whole village… I will tell them myself."_

The Hokage froze, processing what Naruto had said. Then he started to laugh.

"Naruto… I'm afraid I must refuse your request. I cannot let a person whose loyalty to Konoha is weak enough that they would threaten to go missing join the academy, for we have ninja's to _protect_ Konoha… not to leave it at their whims or when they don't get their way. And I cannot allow the villagers to tell your 'truths' as you call them because I cannot risk word getting out—it would be a danger to village security. Do you understand?"

It was Naruto's turn to be shocked.

_**Damn it all, kit, you've gone and ruined your chances. I'm leaving you to your own devices—fix it or there'll be hell to pay. **_Kyuubi growled into Naruto's mind. He was furious, for the kit just had to spout unloyal threats and dash his hopes of being trained by the village. But what Naruto did next surprised both the Hokage and the fox. Dropping to his knees, he began to cry.

"H-Hoka-e-s-sama… I-I'm-m s-sow-wy…" He whimpered, tears streaming down his cheeks, now no-longer feral but incredibly frail and tiny body shaking with sobs. "I-I wanna j-join the aca-emy-y so I can m-ma-e sure th-that awl bad people g-gow aw-away! I w-wan-n the p-people to k-know ab-about Kyuu-uub-bi s-so tha-tha I can-n k-know wh-oo m-my re-real frein-n-s are… I-I'm sow-wy-y f-fo-h wh-wha I-I said… I w-was-s s-sa-ad… Ho-oka-g-ge-s-samaaa!" The boy's words were almost illegible, but they struck a chord in the old man's heart. The blue eyes, oh so blue, not a trace of malice in them. Naruto had been beaten all his life, so of course he wanted the 'Bad people' to go away. He wanted to bring about world peace, and he wanted to do it without any secrets attached. Big, blue eyes… the eyes were taking over his conscious. He fought against it but was already too far in. He completely forgot about the boy's previous clear language and ferocious body language—the child in front of him was obviously just confused by the Kyuubi, not at all serious in his earlier threats—just desperate. Yes, that was it. Naruto had been desperate and tricked by the Kyuubi into talking like that. He worried about the boy's problem about talking out loud to the demon, but quickly brushed such concerns aside. The boy's blue eyes… so bright… his thoughts grew even fuzzier and he smiled.

"I'm sorry Naruto." Sarutobi said gently. Naruto, still crying, looked up at him, and the Hokage wondered how he could have ever seen any evil in the blue eyes. "I'll let you join the Academy, and I'll let people tell their families—but only family, and nothing more. Is that okay?" A huge grin spread across the boy's face, and as he wiped away his tears, he gasped out.

"Y-Yes, H-hoka-e-sama! I pledge my l-loya-ty to K-onoha—no, more t-than jus' loyaty! I'll bec-come the Hokage, and I's protect my loved ones!" As the two humans traded joyous grins that seemed to burst at the seams with streams of happy loyalty and love, the Kyuubi spoke to Naruto in begrudging awe. _**Damn, kit, you really know how to play them. **_ He was silent for a moment in contemplation, and then spoke again. _**What's with the newfound kid voice? It seems a bit overdone to me… tone it down in the future, kit. **_ The Kyuubi then began to laugh. _**Haha! I guess he should check who the bad people are, shouldn't he? Heh heh heh…**_

_Yeah, Kura-sama, he really should._

And Naruto's smile brightened.

_. ._

APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS LATER.

. .

Naruto stretched his limbs and glanced around. He had been living in the forest ever since he had pledged his 'loyalty' to Konoha, and found it pretty enjoyable. He was now six, almost seven- his hair grown out into it's full foxy, rust-like, red-orange, spiky mess. It fell to just below his chin at its longest, large golden streaks and tips the only clue that he had once been blonde. His eyes were still obviously blue, with slit pupils, but they had a noticeable purple tinge to them.

He was about the height of a normal almost-seven-year-old boy, and had finally grown into his Kyuubi-given body, his muscles as flexible as most his age, his skin (with the help of a nightly moisturizing routine) stretchy enough to accommodate movements, his body used to the weight and strength of his muscles and bones. His senses, too, he was now used to, although they proved to be a large nuisance when faced with very large amounts of light, scent, flavor, texture, or sound. Still, without brief stretching exercises every day, his muscles became unbearably stiff much more quickly than normal humans, and if he didn't moisturize his skin would be as dry and tough as a lizard's scaly hide. All in all, though, he felt close to normal again.

He slept whenever he could, he ate whenever he wanted—living in a small cave in the forest left him a lot of freedom. He would usually either train or sleep or eat, and felt no boredom in his simple life. Living independently from the village had its benefits—no danger of stares or cruel treatments. He ate meat that he hunted, he ate vegetables and fruits that he grew in his small garden, he drank water from the stream by his cave, cooked food in the fire-pit by his cave, and slept in his cave, in which he had his small wardrobe, his 'bed,' and any other necessities that he could think of.

His 'bed' was a large rectangular pile of neatly folded blankets, his pillow was another folded blanket, and his blanket was an unfolded blanket. He kept his clothes in a makeshift wooden box, underwear, socks, sandals, two pairs of black shorts with lots of pockets, one pair of black sweat-pants with the same, one long-sleeved white t-shirt, two short-sleeved white t-shirts, two dark grey zip-up hoodies and a pile of black headbands that he used to hold back his hair from his face.

Currently, he wore his 'nice' clothes—the only colorful clothes he owned. The t-shirt was dark red with a black Konoha symbol; the sweat-pants black, his headband was white, and his zip-up hoodie was grey, although it was lighter colored and had pockets unlike the other two. Naruto sighed, brushing a bit of dirt off of the knees of his sweatpants. It was his first day at the Academy.

The Hokage had promised to tell everyone in the village about the changed law, and, after a few reminders, had followed through. Annoyingly enough, though, he made sure to explain to all of Konoha that he was not the demon. It didn't really stop the hatred, but his efforts to make the village like him were exasperating, and pointless, for within a week, the children treated him the same cruel way as their parents, with few exceptions. He started on his way towards the academy. "Kura-sama, it's my first day of the academy."

_**So? I'm sleeping.**_

"Still, Kura-sa-"

_**WHAT?**_

_I told you already. It's my first day of the academy._ Naruto walked up to the door of the building, sighing as crowds scattered.

_**Who gives a f — **_

_Kura-sama!_

_**Fine. I'm going to sleep now. The only interesting part of this is, hmmm… nothing.**_

Naruto sighed. "Okay, Kura-sama." A woman who overheard him talking to the demon gasped, turned white, and hustled her child into the academy classroom.

Naruto glanced around at the building. It was a nice, warm looking place, with several other kids his age milling about waiting for their teachers to call them into the classrooms.

Haruno, Sakura! It's nice to meet you too. I hope this will be a great year. Okay. Take a seat inside the classroom. Hiromi, Rukiro! Good! How about you? Hahaha. Go inside and take a seat. Yeah, anywhere you want. Hyuuga, Hinata…"

A teacher with a scar across his nose was calling out names. He seemed like the nicest of all of them.

"Uchiha, Sasuke! Good morning. Wonderful. I'm sure it'll be a great year. Take a seat inside. Uchiha, Mimai! I'm good, you? I'm glad. That's nice, Mimai. Fantastic. Take a seat inside." Suddenly, he froze, near the bottom of his list and began to sweat. "U-Uzum-maki N-Naruto-o." Everyone in the room seemed to give the teacher a sympathetic look as Naruto walked over to him.

"Hello, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. You called my name?" Naruto asked with a polite smile, hoping against hope that this teacher wouldn't discriminate.

"Y-Yes, you'll be part of my class this year! Good morning! Have a seat inside, please!" The teacher looked like he was about to faint.

"Thank you, Sensei." Naruto smiled again, this time a little less politely, and walked inside, climbing up to the seat in the upper left-hand corner. It was closest to the door, yet farthest from the teacher and the other students.

_**Kami, that teacher is such a wimp. I'm really hoping that this class isn't as boring as he is.**_

"Hey, Kura-sama, don't be mean." Naruto mumbled, and those close enough to hear started whispering frantically.

Then, the teacher came into the room, and all of the students quieted down and sat in seats. There was a bubble of five seats at least between Naruto and all the other students, some of whom crammed together to avoid sitting to close to their 'demon' classmate.

"Hello, class! My name is Iruka, and I'll be your teacher while you are here in the academy. Now, let's get to know each other. Say your name, age, favorite food, and a fun fact about you. Let's start with…" A bunch of hands waved in the air, and the teacher smiled, pointing to a boy with bright green hair.

"My name is Rukiro, I'm seven, my favorite food is apples, and I have an older sister who is a chuunin!"

The names went on and on. Naruto kept a smile on his face, although he was incredibly bored. One kid fell asleep, and when it was his turn to speak, grunted out

"Shikamaru. Seven. Nothing. Nothing." And then fell back asleep. The whole class stared, some giggling, and one blonde girl slapped him on the back of the head and muttered angrily at him. Then it was Naruto's turn.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto." He would be changing his name as soon as he could. He hated it. "I'm… seven." It would be true soon enough. "My favorite food is meat." Freshly hunted, raw, bloody meat, but they didn't need to know that. "And… I like to garden." His last statement was met with stares and confusion. Meat, they could understand. It was demon-like. But gardening?

_**You told them the wimpiest thing about you. Gardening. Why, might I ask?**_

"Because it's true, Kura-sama." The other children edged even further away. Iruka paled for the second time that day. Naruto frowned in annoyance at his third slip-up. It was going to be a long five years.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Kiba sniffed the air, and his mouth began to water. _Goddamnit, what is that smell!?_

It was the third week of school, and every day, at lunchtime, when all of the other kids opened packed lunches, the demon-boy would walk into the forest, and after about five minutes a delicious aroma would begin to waft out. Every day, at lunchtime, Kiba would eat his packed lunch and still be hungry. Every day, at lunchtime, Kiba would edge a little closer to the forest, wondering what Naruto was doing. And today, at lunchtime, Kiba, in all his seven-year-old glory, was going to find out what was going on.

Naruto could smell the Inuzuka coming closer, and stiffened. He cooked his meat when at school because he wasn't the neatest eater sometimes, and didn't want blood all over him for the rest of the day.

Hunching over the once-alive rabbit, he glared at the boy, who stared at his prey with wide eyes. "My kill!" Naruto snarled, puffing out his chest to appear bigger, narrowing his eyes, and baring his teeth, and the boy bent his head in submission, backing up and whimpering slightly.

"Sorry!" Naruto blinked in confusion, for he was not used to humans understanding animal ways.

Kiba blinked in confusion as well. He wasn't used to non-family members using animalistic scare tactics. His reaction was instinctual—he had stumbled upon another hunter eating kill, and since he was as dominant as the other boy, he had backed off in apology. He glanced at his own sharper fingernails, thinking of his longer teeth and slit eyes, and relaxed. Naruto wasn't too bad, if he looked like an Inuzuka.

Naruto glanced at Kiba's appearance, and thought about his own. Clearly, the other boy was in tune with nature as well.

"Do you want some?" He held out some meat to Kiba, who took it gratefully.

"Yeah. Sure."

They sat together companionably, bonding over their mutual interests, and when the bell rang and it was time for lessons again, Kiba sat next to Naruto in the corner. From that day on, they were friends.

One day, they were sitting near a pond and fishing, when Kiba turned to Naruto and asked about the Kyuubi. Naruto talked for hours, and when he was done, Kiba did the same, talking about his future dog and past life. From that day on, they were _best_ friends.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Itachi stared in horror at the blood. He had done it, he had killed everyone in his clan… he held his dead little brother in his arms and sobbed. Sasuke, Mikoto, Fugaku… his entire family. Gone. Gone forever, by his hand. He cursed the people who had made him do it, cursed the people who had deserved to die… held his innocent, sweet little brother who would never be alive again. In a sudden wave of despair, he set up a suicide trap, one that would make it look like he had been killed as well. With a scream of anguish and a kick at the tripwire, he set it off, and as his body fell to the ground, he smiled sardonically, tears running down his face. The Uchiha were no more. Just like Konoha had asked.

{.}..{.}..{..}.{..}.{..}.{..}.{..}.{..}.{..}

The entire village was in shock. In one night, the entire Uchiha clan had been wiped off the face of the earth. The village had collected and buried the bodies, and when the tally of the dead came in, it was the exact number of people that had lived in the once prominent clan. Everyone mourned. School was out for days. No one knew who had done it. The clan head and his family were in the sitting room when they were killed, and the older brother apparently had tried to protect his younger sibling when it happened, for he was slouched over the body with tears down his face and sharingan activated.

Many children left the academy. Few civilians wanted to be ninja anymore.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Naruto looked up at his sensei and smiled. Iruka smiled back, albeit a bit shakily. "Are you ready, Naru-kun?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, Iruka-sensei. 'Sides, Kiba already passed, so I better. He'll never let me live it down, the baka." The last part was said with a mutter.

"Okay then. You've passed the Taijutsu, written test, and kunai-throwing parts of the exam, so all you have to do now is pass the Ninjutsu, and you'll be a genin!" Iruka smiled again. He had grown to understand the redhead a little more as time went on, and no longer saw him as a demon. When the Uchiha Massacre had taken place, Naruto had changed his name. Now, he was Naru, and his last name was Kurayume. "Remember, no blood clones! Begin!"

"Kawarimi no jutsu!" Naru sang out, and replaced himself with a large potted plant.

"Good. Now Bunshin~!" Naru groaned out the name of the jutsu, and created four almost perfect Bunshin. "Eh… It passes. Henge!"

Naru paused for a moment, then henged into a perfect copy of Kiba, down to the dog.

"Pass!" Iruka crowed, pleased at yet another passed student. His record was near perfect. The other teachers would pay up soon. "Get your hitai-ite." Naru grabbed a black head-band-like one, and walked out, feeling pleased. Ever since most of the civilians had bowed out, he was less likely to be bullied.

"Hey, you got one too, Naru!" Kiba yelled at him from across the yard.

"What, you thought I wouldn't, Kiba-chan?"

_**It wouldn't have been too far off the mark if he did. Your Bunshin suck. **_

"Shut up Kura-sama, no one asked you!"

"That furball is so annoying. And so are you. And speaking of annoying, don't call me that!" Kiba growled at Naru, angry at the nickname.

"Says you. You got your own furball." Naru smirked.

"At least Akamaru's cute! That's more than you can say about yo—"

"_All powerful slave?_"

_**I'm not your slave!**_

"He's not all powerful!"

_**Yes I am, brat!**_

"Yes he is, Kiba-chan! My all powerful slave!"

_**I AM NOT YOUR SLAVE.**_

"HE'S NOT ALL POWERFUL."

_**I AM!**_

"He is too!"

"You know what, forget it."

_**For once, I agree.**_

While the two boys had been bickering, people had been slowly leaving the schoolyard, and by the time they were done, Kiba realized that he had to go home.

"Agh! Sorry Naru! I have to go to dinner! See you tomorrow!"

"Bye Kiba!"

"Bye!" When Kiba was out of eyesight, Naru sighed. _Come on, all-powerful slave. Let's go get dinner. _

_**I'm not your—you know what, I don't care. Be lonely by yourself. **_

Naru shrugged and ran into the forest. He pushed for the familiar thread, shuddering with the pain as he grew three tails and turned into a horse sized red-gold fox with purple eyes. He smelled a moose. He let himself be swallowed by his instincts, knowing that when he woke up it would be time to receive his team placements.

When he walked into the academy the next morning, Kiba waved him over, per usual. "Naru, we're getting teams today! I'm so psyched. Hope you're on my team... don't think I can stand anyone else. Hey, hey, hey, remember that pink banshee from third year? God, I'm glad she isn't around anymore. If there was even a one percent chance of her being on my team, I'd quit."

"Yeah. All the girls got a lot less annoying when—well… anyway, I hope you're on my team too."

_**Kami, quit the sappy shit. I'm sick of you lovebirds with your 'hope' this and 'dream' that. **_

_Shut up, Kura-sama!_

_Yeah, shut up!_

Both boys gaped in surprise. "Y-you just heard Kyuubi in your mind… and talked to him… and I heard you… and…"

_**Yeah, I extended the link as a present for your graduation. You better like it. It took a lot of chakra. **_

_W-we like it… Thanks…_

_Yeah, thanks…_

_**I find it amusing that pup parrots you, kit. **_

_I'm not a pup! And I don't parrot!_

_Get used to him calling you that. He calls me kit… it's sorta the same._

While the boys were mentally talking, they were glaring into each other's eyes, and emitting a growing chakra pulse as they did so. When they realized that they were scaring the other people in the room, and then both grew embarrassed and abruptly sat down with identical thuds. Iruka coughed, and the team naming began.

"Team one…"

"Gosh, who'd a thought we'd be one of the last?" Naru whispered to Kiba with a smirk.

"I dunno. Pay attention!" Kiba hissed in return, not once moving his eyes from the teacher in anticipation.

"Team seven; Hiromi Rukiro, Aburame Shino, and Usumo Maitera. Your Jounin-sensei is Yuuhi Kurenai. Team eight; Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata, and Kurayume Naru. Your Jounin-sensei is Mitarashi Anko. Team nine is still in circulation. Team ten is Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji. Your Jounin-sensei is Sarutobi Asuma." With that, he snapped his book closed, smiling at the excited crowd. "Your teachers should be here at any moment. Good l—" Suddenly, a woman crashed through the window. "—uck!"

"I'm Mitarashi Anko! My team, meet me at training ground eight!" When no child moved from their seats, frozen in terror, she snarled. "I said, meet me at training ground eight." A gleam entered her eyes. "The longer you take, the more painful it will be-eeeee!" She disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Naru, and Kiba exchanged glances, and bolted out the door. A small Hyuuga girl was soon to follow, blushing at being the center of attention. Iruka coughed.

"Well then. I give all my luck to them. I don't think any of you will need it as much as they will." The class could only nod, eyes still trained fearfully on the windows.

"Hmmmm…." The woman, Anko, regarded them with crafty eyes. "Tell me your name, hobbies, dreams, and something nobody else knows about you. Nobody. Starting with…" Anko looked for the most nervous of her team, and found them. "Pupil-less."

Hinata started, blushed, and stammered. "My n-name is H-Hyuuga Hinata. M-my hobbies a-are g-gardening. N-nobody k-knows t-that I l-like to d-draw. My dream is show the world that I am not weak!" Anko sighed. The last part would have been impressive if she hadn't squeaked. Both boys were staring at her in amusement.

"Ooo-kaay! Fox-brat, you're up."

"My name is Kurayume Naru! My hobbies include gardening and training! My dream is to protect those precious to me! And nobody knows that I am gender-fluid." Everyone gaped.

"G-gender f-fluid? What the f ! ck is that?" Kiba said, confusion written all over his face. Hinata was blushing, per usual, but also seemed confused, and Anko just burst out laughing.

"It means that I'm not really a boy or a girl. It's a gift from Kyuubi. I can transform at will into either a girl-human, a boy-human, a girl-fox, or a boy-fox. I'm also bi as a result. I just prefer to stay in the form of a boy, most of the time."

"Well, as _interesting_ as that is," Anko snorted. It was fascinating, but really not her problem, "Let's move on to the pup."

"I'm Inuzuka Kiba! My hobbies are playing with Akamaru and training. My dream is to protect those precious to me! And nobody knows that I secretly think cats are a little cute." Again, everyone gaped, then burst out laughing. (or in Hinata's case, giggled lightly.) Anko grinned savagely. She couldn't wait to break them into the ground.

**I don't have much to say by way of these chapters, except sorry about no Sasuke or Sakura, and sorry this chapter was so long in coming. I made it extra long… but still. **

**Anyway.**

**See you next week maybe!**


End file.
